LETHBRIDGE The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) team is reminding parents to be aware of what their kids are up to online as part of Safer Internet Day. Held annually in February, it’s a day meant to promote safer and more responsible use of technology for young people around the world. In the past year, ICE has started more than 2,100 new investigations, a record number for the group and a more than 50 per cent increase from last year. The increase comes at a time when the majority of children across the province moved to at-home, online learning.
Online child exploitation cases in Alberta spiked 50% in 2020 over previous year, police say
With incidents of online child exploitation on the rise in Alberta, parents need to step up their efforts at protecting their children, according to a specialized provincial police unit that investigates online child exploitation.
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CBC News ·
Posted: Feb 09, 2021 10:52 AM MT | Last Updated: February 9
Last year, ALERT’s Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit started a record number of new investigations with over 2,100 intakes. That s an increase of more than 50 per cent from the previous year.(Voyagerix/Shutterstock)
With incidents of online child exploitation on the rise in Alberta, parents need to step up their efforts at protecting their children, according to a specialized unit of Alberta s Law Enforcement Teams (ALERT) that focuses on those crimes.
Executives with the world's largest adult-entertainment company MindGeek, which runs Pornhub, testified virtually before a Canadian ethics committee over charges that it profited from sex trafficking as well as the rape of minors.
Abuse awareness program puts Kids in the Know January 16, 2021
With up to one-quarter of youth experiencing sexual victimization by the time they turn 18, the national Kids in the Know program aims to arm students with knowledge and safety strategies to prevent abuse and exploitation.
Taught in school divisions across Canada, Kids in the Know is a program developed by the Winnipeg-based Canadian Centre for Child Protection. The interactive safety education program uses age-appropriate lessons to teach students safety skills to reduce risk of victimization, building children’s confidence and critical thinking skills and prepares them for the potentially dangerous situations they may run up against.